Back from the ranch

"The Ranch"
Family outpost...
The place where hubby and I raised our 3 boys.
The place where my parents and brother still live.
The place we will always be connected to.
...and who knows, maybe retire to?

Its a beautiful place...
remote, quiet, peaceful, full of wildlife, beautiful...

...and very snowy in winter, high desert with pine and juniper trees.
I must admit that since moving down to the California coast,
I've become spoiled by the mild weather
in which I can garden year-round, should I choose to.

When we lived at the ranch,
I was always ready for spring by January 2...
It never arrived until at least May 31! LOL!
The growing season is short at the ranch... 100 days would be lucky!

Winter Back then...

My darling boys... and 3 of their boy cousins... sure miss these days!
And ice-skating on the "resy" ... always fun!


Summer NOW

The main ranch house & barn...

Picnic spot (:

The reservoire, dubbed the "resy" by our kids...
It sits at the end of the valley, and is the place
where the kids and I spent every day in summertime
with a packed lunch, rubber rafts, a good book or two...

Summers back then...

And at this point I just have to say to all
who are young Mom's with children who may read this blog...
...enjoy every moment of your children's childhood!
It is only a very short time...
and one day "you're gonna miss this..." as I do today.
I miss my little boys and the many years of fun.
I do have my grandbabies to have the same memories with...
but just say'n ... "You're Gonna Miss This"


Sorry to make this such a long post...
but I'm obviously feeling a bit nostalgic.

My beautiful niece now ...
in the same spot my little boys and I played.
Isn't she gorgeous? I think so (:

On to family specialities...

My Dad's pride and joy!
Yes, we are John Deere people! LOL

And my Mother's pride and joy...

A note on my Mom first....
She has American Indian blood that runs deeps.
She loves it, and has spent many years teaching us kids
"the ways..." as all the grandkids would say. (:
She taught us survival skills, spinning, weaving,
an appreciation for nature,
and identification of wildlife, wild foods, etc.

For her 70th birthday, my dad bought her a Tipi...
a dream she's had for years!
In this Tipi we've had family gatherings,
family passages (another story for another time),
and special alone times for her.
She has given each of her children, grandchildren
and now great-grandchildren an Indian Name...
based on each one's personality.
American Indians put great thought into these names,
and my Mother is no exception
We spent a summer painting the images of those names onto the tipi.

This is the image of my deceased niece's name,
"Little Woman of Great Courage"
Daisy passed away at the age of 21,
a few years ago on August 14 due to birth defects
that finally took her life way too early.
(another story for another time)

As you can see, each name/image has the handprint
of that family member beside it.

Every image painted onto the tipi has a meaning...
(also another story for another time, as this post is getting very long!)
Inside...

Mom's prized loom sits straight to the back
This tipi can hold 24 people sitting in a circle...
yes, we've done it! LOL

And a few for the road...
My favorite outbuilding... it holds an old woodburning cookstove
that I hope to put into a house one day.
It makes the best home made bread!
(sorry no photo of the woodstove ... its tucked behind a bunch of things)
Left-over Peonies from my old garden ...
my mom has made sure they still live! (: